The back-closure robe was developed as a simple, practical way to provide coverage and warmth for a hospitalized patient who is either unable to dress himself, unable to stand or walk without the assistance of an attendant, is mentally confused, or is restrained to a chair by means of a restraining vest. For example, in order to dress a patient wearing a restraining vest (and seated in a chair) with a conventional robe, at least two aides must typically be present to: (1) untie the vest, (2) stand the patient and hold him, (3) remove the restraining vest, (4) put the robe on him, (5) replace the vest, (6) seat the patient, and (7) retie the vest to the chair. The procedure is stressful to the patient, and time consuming and inconvenient for the staff. In the case of an incontinent patient, with a conventional robe the procedure must be repeated when the robe becomes damp. Further, with a conventional robe the restraining vest remains visible.
The back-closure robe of the present invention was specifically designed to address these problems. The number of steps required to secure the back-closure robe about a patient wearing a restraining vest has been reduced from seven with a conventional robe to just one with the present invention. The back-closure robe is simply placed on a patient while he is seated, and fastened across the upper back at shoulder level. It is not necessary to remove the restraining vest or untie it from the chair to which it is attached. The patient is not inconvenienced and only one assistant is required to dress the patient. Because the back-closure robe preferably falls to the sides of the chair and is not under the seated wearer, there is no reason for it to become damp from the incontinence of the patient. Full coverage and warmth are afforded the patient at his upper back, shoulders, arms, neck, sides, and front. The restraining vest remains under the robe and is essentially invisible. No moving or lifting of the patient is necessary, thereby eliminating the physical and emotional stress normally experienced by the patient when dressed in a conventional robe. When the patient is given walking therapy, the back-closure robe is designed to overlap sufficiently in back to afford complete coverage and dignity. A belt can be added for extra security and appearance.
One prior art hospital robe is disclosed by A. Kern in U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,256. The Kern robe was designed principally for hospital use and includes a front portion presenting the appearance of a normal robe and a back portion having a full length opening from a neckline point to a hemline. The robe has marginally overlapping sections along the full length of the back opening and is provided with multiple fasteners from the neckline defined opening to the hemline to afford the patient with secure coverage.
The back-closure robe has been specifically designed to overcome several functional deficiencies of the Kern robe and other known robes. Specifically, the Kern robe is difficult to secure about a patient in a manner such as to afford complete coverage to the patient. An attendant (or attendants) must stand the patient and secure the individual multiple fasteners down the length of the full back opening. The back-closure robe, on the other hand, has been designed such that it can easily be placed about a patient in a seated position or a standing position with only limited securing means located along the back shoulder and collar area of the robe. Often, a patient within a restraining vest is very combatant and minimizing dressing time is important both for the patient and the attendant(s). Further, the Kern design requires that the robe be positioned underneath a seated wearer when fully secured which, again, is problematic if the wearer is incontinent. If the Kern robe is only fastened at the neckline, there is little coverage of the individual's back when the wearer is seated and the robe is not under him but rather draped to the sides of the chair. Coverage of the patient's back with the Kern robe requires the extra step of fastening the snap buttons to approximately waist level. However, at the minimum this would require that the patient be moved forward within the chair, possibly also requiring untieing of the restraining vest, and once the wearer stands, the remaining snap buttons would have to be affixed on the back of the robe to insure secure coverage. With the back-closure design of the present invention, these considerations are eliminated. Lastly, gapping above and below the snap closures of the Kern robe will typically occur with most fabric types, particularly after repeated laundering and wearing which apply stress to the fabric at the snap points.